Chinese Zhusuan, Knowledge and Practices of Mathematical Calculation Through the Abacus中国珠算

中国珠算是中华民族的重大发明，对中华民族的经济、文化等发展起到了不可磨灭的作用。珠算文化不仅沉淀着古人千年的智慧，同时对今人的思维逻辑也有很大的启发。2013 年12 月，中国珠算被正式列入《人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录》。

Zhusuan refers to an old method of performing 1）arithmeticcalculations with an abacus， which is called suanpan in Chinese.

The origin of Zhusuan dates back thousands of years to ancientChina. According to 2）archaeological research， the earliest formsof abacuses can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty in the 14thcentury BC. The term Zhusuan first appeared in a book entitledSupplementary Notes on the Art of Figures， written by Xu Yue， a wellknownmathematician and astronomer of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Zhusuan was extensively applied in ancient China for commercial3）transactions， 4）financial management， tax calculations， and otherfields. It has been considered an important skill in Chinese cultureand incorporated into the educational system.

The Chinese abacus， as the elementary counting tool of Zhusuan，is simple yet ingenious. Its main body consists of a wooden frame，typically with a horizontal beam and 5）vertical rods. On each verticalrod， there are usually seven beads. By manipulating the positionof the beads， various mathematical calculations such as addition，subtraction， multiplication， and division can be performed. Manyadvanced concepts and techniques are involved in the calculatingprocess， like positional notation， multiples， and vertical calculation.

Using the abacus to calculate requires a high level ofconcentration and flexibility during calculations. Operators， based ontheir mastery of the place value of different beads and computationrules， utilize the abacus to perform calculations swiftly and accuratelyby means of verbal or mental arithmetic skills.

The advantages of Zhusuan lie in its 6）efficiency and visualnature. Compared to modern electronic calculators， Zhusuan allows users to understand mathematical concepts and computationalprocesses through hands-on manipulation and sliding of beads. Itnot only cultivates thinking abilities， logical reasoning， and calculationspeed but also enhances attention， concentration， and patience.

Although the 7）prevalence of calculators and computers has ledto a decline in the use of the abacus， there is still a strong passionand interest for Zhusuan in China. Zhusuan has become an essentialpart of fine traditional Chinese culture.

As a time-honored traditional method of calculation， Zhusuantoday continues to contribute to “the advancement of calculatingtechniques， cognitive schema， educational psychology and intellectualdevelopment”， concludes UNESCO.

1） arithmetic n. 算术

2） archaeological adj. 考古的

3） transaction n. 交易

4） financial adj. 金融的

5） vertical adj. 垂直的

6） efficiency n. 效率

7） prevalence n. 流行；盛行

珠算是一种以算盘为工具进行数学计算的古老方法。（剩余576字）